Deutsche Welle condemns Belarusian search for four female journalists
Deutsche Welle Director General Barbara Massing has condemned the search for four female journalists from Belarus who work for the media organisation, Deutsche Welle reported. She described the Belarusian authorities’ actions as an attempt to criminalise independent journalism and intimidate journalists.
The journalists concerned are Olga Kapustina, Alexandra Boguslawskaja, Ulyana Babayed and Katsiaryna Kryzhanouskaya. All four are wanted in Belarus and Russia.
“This is an unacceptable attempt to criminalise independent journalism and intimidate journalists for doing their jobs,” Massing stated. She expressed her support for her colleagues and stressed that Deutsche Welle would continue providing audiences in Belarus with independent and reliable information.
DW reports that the search in Belarus is believed to be linked to criminal cases involving participation in an “extremist formation”.
In April 2024, the Belarusian Interior Ministry designated as an “extremist formation” a group of creators, administrators and other contributors to the DW Belarus online platforms. The ministry’s list included the project’s website, its social media pages, and its YouTube and messaging channels.
Human rights organisations previously stated that the regime of Aliaksandr Lukashenka uses extremism charges to target political opponents and dissent in general.
Previously, ZMINA reported in Ukrainian that a 16-year-old boy who left the occupied Kherson Region (Oblast) on his own but was detained by Belarusian law enforcement officers while crossing the border has been returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory. The teenager was placed in a children’s shelter, from where there were plans to forcibly return him to his father in the occupied territory. Following the intervention of Ukrainian state bodies and non-governmental organisations, the boy was reunited with his mother.
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